You spend a lot of your time there, and guests, your children and grandkids seem to migrate there naturally when they come to visit. So it’s no wonder the kitchen needs constant attention to stay tidy and germ-free.

But if you’re still cleaning it the same way you’ve always done, chances are there are loads of ways you can drastically cut down the time you spend wiping and scrubbing. The following tips will help you clean everything more quickly and with less effort, leaving you with more time to relax with a cup of coffee – in your sparkly, spotless kitchen, of course!

1. Streamline your supplies

Be honest, how many cleaning products do you have taking up space in your cupboards? You might be accustomed to using separate cleaners for limescale, surface, glass, floor and mould, but one or two multipurpose products make a big difference.

Take a tip from professional cleaners and organise the products, along with your cleaning cloths, in a portable caddy or basket that you can carry around the room with you. You’ll finish the job far more quickly if you have everything you need close to hand.

2. Clean as you go

When the kids were growing up, it made sense to have one big cleaning session a week – there was no point in doing it daily as things would be messy again in minutes! But now you can get into the habit of cleaning certain areas straight after you’ve used them, which saves you lots of time in the long run.

For example, wiping down the greasy hob immediately after cooking a meal. Now you have those extra five minutes after dinner to yourself, you can quickly wipe away any splashes; if you let them sit, they’ll take a lot longer to clean later.

The same goes for the sink – rinse and dry it every evening to keep it sparkling – and give the kitchen rubbish bin a wipe with disinfectant spray whenever you empty it. You’ll be surprised how much time it saves not having to spend hours on a Sunday morning doing a deep clean.

3. Switch your dish detergent

Swapping your washing-up liquid to Fairy Platinum will not only save you money (as just a few drops go a very long way) – it’s also proven to cut through dirt and grease quickly and effectively, so there’s no need to soak pots and pans after a big dinner.

What’s more, you can even use it for everyday cleaning elsewhere in the kitchen. Squirt a little on a soft cloth to wipe down surfaces such as your kitchen worktop and oven surface. There’s no need to rinse – just dry them with a paper towel afterwards.

4. Throw away your sponges

Sponges and cotton cloths might be traditional cleaning implements, but they’re not always the most effective means of doing the job. Try using more modern microfibre cloths instead. They’re created from millions of tiny fibres that attract and cling on to even the tiniest of dirt particles, meaning you spend far less time scrubbing.

5. De-clutter to de-stress

When it comes to home organising, less clutter means less cleaning – so in the kitchen, the fewer bits and bobs you have out on your worktop, the easier it’ll be to wipe down.

So get clever with your storage. Stash everything from dried foods to baking kit in lidded boxes on top of your kitchen units; keep your washing-up liquid, brushes and hand soap together in a purpose-made tidy; store flat things such as trays under your kickboards; hang utensils from wall hooks rather than keeping them in a pot; have a basket for the grandkids’ special plates and bowls they use when they come around, and put a cover over your food mixer to minimise dust build-up.

How do you make light work of your kitchen clean-up? Share your secrets with us in the comments section below!

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